ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Vendor Development Programme
The Vendor Development Programs  are aimed at building the capacity of Micro and Small Enterprises  and enhancing their participation in public procurement process.
The procurement from Micro and Small Enterprises  by Central Public Sector Undertakings  increased from 23.11% in 2017-18 to 26.31% in 2018-19.
The details of Vendor Development Programmes organized by Ministry of MSME and the details of vendors registered with Central Public Sector Undertakings  as on 5th February, 2020 are given below.
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Year
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Number of Vendor Development Programmes  by M/o MSME
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Vendor registered by CPSUs 
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2016-17
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403
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20,775
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2017-18
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442
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2018-19
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136
Details of Vendor Development Programmes / Buyer-Seller meets organized by CPSUs during the last two years are given below:
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Year
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General VDPs
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SC/ST VDPs
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2017-18
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913
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215
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2018-19
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1983
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583
This information was given by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Development of Cold Chains
Government is implementing Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture  for development of horticulture including post harvest management. Under the mission assistance is provided for development of all relevant infrastructure including pack house, pre-cooling units, staging cold room, cold storages, controlled atmosphere  storage, reefer vans, primary/mobile processing units and setting up of ripening chambers etc. to promote logistic integration with the aim to reduce losses across total supply chain and enable farmers to access markets to get remunerative prices for their produce.
The component is demand/ entrepreneur-driven from among entrepreneurs, private companies, cooperatives, farmers groups etc through commercial ventures for which assistance @ 35% of admissible project cost in general areas and @ 50% in hilly and schedule area is available as credit linked and back ended subsidy.
The State wise allocations under MIDH are made on the basis of Annual Action Plan. States have been advised to allocate 35% – 40% of allocations under MIDH for creation of post harvest management including cold chain development. During the current year an amount of Rs. 14829.00 lakh has been allocated to Maharashtra under MIDH which includes Rs. 5135.00 lakh for development of post harvest infrastructure including cold chain.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Parshottam Rupala, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, today.
Ministry of Defence
KEEL LAYING OF THREE 25T BOLLARD PULL TUGS  AT M/S SHOFT SHIPYARD PVT LTD, BHARUCH
Contract for construction of three 25Ton Bollard Pull Tugs was concluded with M/s Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd on 12 Nov 21 at a cost of Rs 84.75 Crores in consonance with “AatmaNirbhar Bharat” initiatives of the Government of India. These Tugs are being built with a service life of 30 years. The tugs will be capable of assisting naval ships and submarines in berthing, un-berthing, and manoeuvering in confined waters. The tugs will also provide afloat firefighting assistance to ships alongside & at anchorage and will have capability for limited Search and Rescue Operations.
Keel for all three 25T Bollard Pull Tugs  was laid by Cmde Sunil Kaushik, Warship Production Superintendent  on 10 Jun 22 at M/s Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd, Bharuch, Gujarat. With all major and auxiliary equipment/ systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers, these tugs are proud flag bearers of “Make in India, Make for the World” initiatives of Ministry of Defence.
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Prime Minister's Office
PM extends best wishes to wrestler, Deepak Punia on winning Gold Medal at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended best wishes to the wrestler, Deepak Punia on winning Gold Medal at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"Feeling proud of the spectacular sporting performance by our very own Deepak Punia! He is India’s pride and has given India many laurels. Every Indian is elated by his winning the Gold medal. Best wishes to him for all upcoming endeavours."
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Coir Geo textiles gets nod for Rural Road Construction
Decision to give a boost to Coir industry especially during Covid pandemic : Shri Gadkari
Coir Geo textiles, a permeable fabric, natural, strong, highly durable, resistant to rots, moulds and moisture, free from any microbial attack, has finally been accepted as a good material for rural road construction.
Coir Geo textiles will be used for construction of rural roads under the PMGSY-III says a communication from the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency under Union Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.
Speaking about the development, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of MSME and Road Transport & Highways, who has been behind the move to explore alternative usage of coir fibre, has said, "This is a very significant development as we have now been successful in deploying coir geo textile in road construction. The decision will give a big boost to the coir industry especially in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic."
As per the PMGSY new technology guidelines for road construction, 15% length in each batch of proposals, is to be constructed using new technologies. Out of this 5% roads are to be constructed using IRC accredited technology. The IRC has now accredited coir Geo textiles for construction of rural
roads.
As per these instructions, 5% length of the rural roads under PMGSY-III will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles. Accordingly 164 Kms of road will be constructed using coir geo textiles in Andhra Pradesh, 151 kms in Gujarat, 71 kms in Kerala , 328 kms in Maharashtra,470 kms in Odisha, 369 kms TN and 121 kms in Telengana. Thus 1674 km road will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles in 07 states for which there will be a requirement of One Crore Sq. mtrs of coir Geo-textiles, estimated cost of which would come to Rs.70 Crore.
The decision opens up a huge market potential for Coir Geo-textiles in the Country and will be a boon to the Covid-19 hit Coir Industry.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
No locust adults or hoppers spotted in any of the affected areas
As per Food and Agriculture Organization’s latest Locust Status Update, the risk of swarm migration to the Indo-Pakistan summer breeding area has nearly subsided
Starting from 11th April, 2020 till 25thAugust, 2020, control operations have been done in 2,79,066 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by Locust Circle Offices . Till 25thAugust, 2020, control operations have been done in 2,87,374 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar by State Governments.
No locust adults or hoppers were spotted in any of the affected areas yesterday. However, adequate manpower is on vigil for survey and control with sufficient vehicles and spray equipment in the State/s of Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Today , intensive survey operations are continued by LCOs to locate and eliminate locust population, if any.
As per the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Status Update of 24 Aug., 2020, the risk of swarm migration to the Indo-Pakistan summer breeding area has nearly subsided. Weekly virtual meeting on Desert Locust of South-West Asian countries  is being organized by FAO. 23 virtual meetings of the technical officers of South West Asian countries have taken place so far
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Cabinet approves extension/renewal of the extant Pharmaceuticals Purchase Policy  with the same terms and conditions while adding one additional product namely, Alcoholic Hand Disinfectant  to the existing list of 103 medicines till the final closure/strategic disinvestment of the Pharma CPSUs
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved extension/renewal of Pharmaceuticals Purchase Policy  for pharmaceutical Central Public Sector Undertakings  till their closure/strategic disinvestment.
Major Impact
Extension/renewal of the policy would help the pharma CPSUs in optimum utlilization of their existing facilities, enable them to generate revenues to pay salaries to their employees, help them in keeping the costly, sophisticated machinery in running condition resulting in higher return at the time of disposal in case of CPSUs under closure and better valuation in case of CPSUs under disinvestment.
Background
Pharmaceuticals Purchase Policy  was approved by the Cabinet on 30.10.2013 for a period of five years in respect of 103 medicines manufactured by pharma CPSUs and their subsidiaries. The policy is applicable to purchases by Central/ State Government departments and their Public Sector Undertakings etc. The pricing of the products is done by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority . The procuring entity can purchase from Pharma CPSUs and their subsidiaries subject to their meeting Good Manufacturing Practices  norms as per Schedule ‘M’ of the Drugs & Cosmetic Rules. The term of the policy expired on 09.12.2018.
Meanwhile, Cabinet decided on 28.12.2016 to close Indian Drugs and Pharmaceutical Limited  & Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited  and strategically sell Hindustan Antibiotics Limited  & Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Limited , after meeting their liabilities from proceeds of sale of their surplus land to government agencies. Subsequently, Cabinet has modified its decision on 17.07.2019 permitting to sell surplus land as per revised Department of Public Enterprises guidelines dated 14.06.2018. Separately, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs  decided on 01.11.2017 for disinvestment of 100% GOI equity in the fifth pharma CPSU, namely Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Limited .
It has been proposed to extend the policy till final closure/sale of pharma CPSUs.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 update
Ensuring quality of PPEs through stringent protocols
Domestic capacity ramped up: more than 3 lakh kits being manufactured everyday
There are some reports in a section of the media expressing concern about the quality of Personal Protective Equipment  coveralls. The products under reference have no relevance to the procurement being made by the Central Government. HLL Lifecare Limited , the procuring agency of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is procuring PPE coveralls from manufacturers/suppliers only after getting their coveralls tested and approved by one of the eight labs nominated by the Ministry of Textiles  for testing the same. It is only after their products qualify in the test prescribed by the technical committee  of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, that they are procured.
Further, HLL is also undertaking random sampling of the supplies being made, for which a testing protocol has been devised. In case of any failure, the company is being disqualified for any supplies. All the States/UTs have been asked to ensure procurement which is being carried out at their level after following the prescribed testing for PPEs from MoT nominated labs. In addition, manufacturers who have got their products qualified from these labs are also being on-boarded on Government e-Marketplace . The manufacturers who have got PPEs qualified have been advised by the MoT to on-board on to the GeM so that the procurement by States can be carried out accordingly. For the private sector also, the dynamic information of manufacturers whose products have qualified the tests is available on MoT website.
India has significantly ramped up its domestic production capacity of PPEs and N95 masks, and the requirements of the States/UTs are being sufficiently met. Today, the country is producing more than 3 lakh PPEs and N95 masks per day. States/UTs as well as Central Institutions have been provided with around 111.08 lakh N-95 masks and around 74.48 lakh Personal Protective Equipment .
Additionally, guidelines for rational use of rational use of PPEs have been issued by MoHFW and can be seen at https://mohfw.gov.in.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approved Minimum Support Price of Copra for 2021 season
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Price  of copra for 2021 season.
The MSP for Fair Average Quality  of milling copra has been increased,by Rs.375/-, to Rs. 10335/- per quintal for 2021 season from Rs. 9960/- per quintal in 2020. The MSP for ball copra has been increased, by Rs.300/-, to Rs. 10,600/- per quintal for 2021 season from Rs. 10300/- per quintal in 2020. The declared MSP ensures a return of 51.87 percent for milling copra and 55.76 percent for ball copra over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices .
The increase in MSP for copra for 2021 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production which was announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit as one of the important and progressive steps towards making possible doubling of farmers' incomes by 2022.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited  and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Limited  will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies to undertake price support operations at the MSP in the coconut growing States.
For 2020 season, Government has procured 5053.34 tonnes of ball copra and 35.58 tonnes of milling copra benefiting 4896 copra farmers.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
PM Janaushadhi Kendra people are working as Corona Warriors-Mandaviya
The Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has said that even in the current difficult circumstances the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra  people are working as CoronaWarriors and serving the nation.
In a tweet Minister Said, it is being ensured that affordable medicines are available at 6300 Jan Aushadhi centers across the country.
Shri Mandaviya further said that to deal with the current situation its warehouses are working day and night on war footing.
During the lockdown due to spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the country, pharmacists of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras are delivering quality generic medicines at affordable prices to the common citizens of the country.
Presently, more than 6300 PMJAKs are functioning across the country, covering 726 districts .
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  scheme is being run by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India with an objective of providing quality and affordable healthcare to anyone in need.
To ensure the availability of affordable medicines ,one central warehouse in Gurugram, two regional warehouses at Guwahati and Chennai and around 50 distributors are working with their full capacity. In order to control the supplies of the medicines, a strong SAP based end to end point of sales software has been set up . Mobile application “Jan Aushadhi Sugam” is also available for common public to locate their nearest Janaushadhi Kendra and availability of medicines with its price. The app. can be downloaded from Google Play Store and I-phone Store.
In the lockdown period, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  is also generating awareness through informational posts on their social media platforms, to help people protect themselves from Coronavirus. You can also get updates by following us @pmbjpbppi at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
President's Secretariat
President of India Addresses Indian Community in Guinea on The Concluding Day of his Visit
President Kovind received The National order of Merit of Guinea; Dedicated it to Guinea-India Friendship
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, attended the Indian community reception, hosted by Shri Sailas Thangal, Ambassador of India to Ivory Coast today  in Conakry, Guinea.
Addressing the gathering, the President said that given the complementary strengths of India and Guinea, there are numerous opportunities in trade and investment and for businesses to grow both ways. Development cooperation is a key element in our engagement with Guinea, from healthcare, fight against Ebola, agriculture, transport to energy security. He noted that the Indian Community in Guinea, though small in number, is vibrant and making significant contribution to the progress of this country. He said that in whatever capacity they may be in this country, each one of them has earned respect and a name for themselves and for India.
The President said that we see our Diaspora as an integral part of our transformative journey. Through their ideas, enterprise and on-ground presence in Guinea, they can foster growth and development in India. He assured them that we stand by them, firmly and strongly, when they need us.
Yesterday evening , President Kovind was conferred the National Order of Merit of Guinea, the highest award of Guinea at the banquet hosted in his honour by President Conde. The President dedicated this honour to the people of India, to their respect and regard for the Guinean people and to Guinea-India friendship.
Later today , the President will embark on his return journey to India on the successful completion of his three nations visit to - Benin, The Gambia and Guinea. He is expected to land in New Delhi tomorrow morning.
Click here to access President's address at the Indian community reception in Guinea
Ministry of Finance
Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman holds review meeting on Capex for MoRTH, MoPNG and Steel
In continuance to the drive towards accelerated capital spending and timely infrastructure development, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired review meetings with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways , Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas  and Ministry of Steel  here today.
The review meetings were attended by Secretary , Secretary , Secretary , Secretary , Joint Secretaries  amongst other officials.
During the meeting, Capital Expenditure  plans of Ministries and their CPSEs for Q3 and Q4, Capex achievements of Q1 and Q2, expenditure incurred on National Infrastructure Pipeline , projects undertaken through PPP, estimation of funds to be raised by asset monetization and Convergence under National Master Plan  were discussed.
Noting the good progress of Capex in the three ministries, the Finance Minister suggested front-loading of Capex in third quarter of FY22 and in the first half-year of FY23. Smt. Sitharaman reiterated that infrastructure projects are a priority for the Government and to achieve the intended vision of the Capex stimulus given in the Union Budget, an increase of 34.5% over last year, it is essential that physical and financial projects targets are expended in the early quarters of the financial year.
In the review with MoRTH, Smt. Sitharaman suggested that may shift from quarterly to monthly review of specific projects to ensure timely completion of projects. In the discussion with PNG, the Finance Minister observed that since refineries are key infrastructure assets essential to economic growth, their progress forms important part of infrastructure sector. Secretary of M/o Steel apprised that the steel production is already at 90% of its pre-pandemic levels and in the next two quarters M/o Steel is expected to achieve its highest-ever production. Smt. Sitharaman observed that steel sector has great potential and highlighted that the sector will benefit from recently launched Production-Linked Incentive  for specialty steel under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat for specialty steel production.
The Finance Minister observed that the ministries concerned have been watchful for accelerated infrastructure spending and taking progressive measures for the same. During the review meeting, initiatives like PNG exceeding its quarterly targets; MoRTH’s extensive revision of Model Concession Agreements  to make them more concessionaire-friendly and steps towards resolution of Right of Way issues by the M/o Steel were discussed and it was observed that these measures display proactive steps in fighting the barriers imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The series of review meetings starting last week of October ‘21 is the third session by the Finance Minister on CAPEX with various infrastructure Ministries/ Departments and in continuation of previous round of meetings held in June 2021.
Ministry of Textiles
Cabinet approves closure of Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India Limited
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the closure of Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India Limited , the Corporation, a Government of India undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles.
There are 59 permanent employees and 6 Management Trainees serving in the Corporation. All the permanent employees and Management Trainees will be given an opportunity to avail the benefit of a Voluntary Retirement Scheme  as per norms laid down by the Department of Public Enterprises.
The approval will benefit the Government exchequer in reducing recurring expenditure on salary/wages of sick CPSE which is not in operation and earning no income.
The Corporation has been continuously incurring losses since financial year 2015-16 and not earning sufficient income to meet its running expenses. There is little scope for its revival, necessitating closure of the Company.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles loss of lives due to lightning in parts of Rajasthan
Announces ex gratia for the victims
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives due to lightning in parts of Rajasthan and announced ex gratia for the victims.
PMO tweeted, "राजस्थान के कुछ इलाकों में आकाशीय बिजली गिरने से कई लोगों को अपनी जान गंवानी पड़ी है। इससे अत्यंत दुख हुआ है। मैं मृतकों के परिजनों के प्रति अपनी गहरी संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूं: PM @narendramodi
PM @narendramodi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to lightning in parts of Rajasthan. Rs. 50,000 would be provided to the injured."